Yes we have an unemployment problem in this country

[Mountainman]

I posted a job opening on two sites on the internet yesterday afternoon and I have gotten over 45 resumes since then. Most of them don't have the experience we are looking for but they are trying anyway. Way to go I say. Also the majority of them are out of work at the moment. Some as long as a year.

[fearnobush]

1. Friend of mine just got laid off again.

My health coverage, although good, just got worse, my co-pays just doubled. First time Jobless claims up 6000 this to 350,000.

[Nikia]

2. I can tell that by our temps

WE have a number of temps that show up on call who want full time employment. Some have been strung along a while this way, hoping that an opening will happen and that they will work everyday and then hired permanently. The sad thing is that some of them are clearly second string temps. They have temped longer on call but others may get the position. Still they temp, hoping they'll get lucky.
At an employee meeting, we were told that over a hundred people applied for jobs at our plant when they posted two positions on the job center website. Although our company is better than some others, the jobs are not exactly high paying.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. I'm looking into starting my own business

There is no new work for programmers. Period.

Even the stuff I've seen advertized that demands a large skill set tends to be just the required hoop-jumping before a government contractor can outsource.

If you're not in an IT job now, you might as well start practicing guitar again because the prospects of being a rock star are better.

I developed a friendship with one recruiter, and she told me a year ago that it was "Employment Armageddon". She seems to think that before it's over, we'll all be working at Wal-Mart and McDonald's -- but only until it becomes cheaper to get robots to do the work.

--bkl

[Hammie]

4. Those large skill sets

Usually mean they've already got someone lined up for the job. The really detailed ones mean the someone is an H1B and they need to certify that no American is "qualified".

[izzie]

5. That is what the GOP keep saying. Start your own .

I have to laugh at that as can everyone work for them selfs? They also like to say the rich only hire so it is hard to figure them out. Do not I hire people when I go to bank, market have car fixed and all that? No one would work it every day people did not go out and just live. We really keep it all going, a good part any how. The society ran long before we had mills etc.